Should Joe Joyce retire after Filip Hrgovic loss?
Plus, Tim Tszyu KOs Spencer, Torrez beats Vianello and Janibek wins
As Derek Chisora once muttered on a fringe YouTube channel, “We wanna be honest, yeah.” On that occasion, Chisora was referring to Jarrell Miller’s PED woes and letting everyone know exactly what he thought of the since-rehabilitated Miller, who had just popped roasting hot around the time of his aborted clash with Anthony Joshua.
The time has now come for Chisora’s honesty to transfer to another heavyweight. One that Derek dropped and defeated last year. I wanna be honest, it’s time for Joe Joyce to retire.
Joyce has had a great career, both amateur and pro. Unexpectedly so, given the derisory early-career comments around his oak tree stature and glacial punch delivery. He’s made it work for him, beating Daniel Dubois and stopping Joseph Parker. The latter seems a hundred years ago now.
Lauded as his greatest asset, the once-granite chin has been cracked. While punishment can still be soaked up significantly (see Saturday night’s defeat to Hrgovic for proof), this is not the same version we saw robotically motoring through opponents in recent years.
Joyce is still trying to achieve what many of his fighting contemporaries are pitching for: that Saudi visit. His Manchester conqueror, Hrgovic, has already sampled the Riyadh cash and is more likely to grab a bit more after outlasting Joe across 10 rounds.
Hrgovic showed that he has learned the lessons of his Dubois loss. A lack of fitness and overconfidence were the two main issues. Should Joyce retire? I say yes. Whether he will is a different matter. “Are you not entertained?” he grinned after the decision was read out. Yes, but not at the cost of your long-term health.
Tim Tszyu back to winning ways after Spencer smashing
We still may not know how much Tim Tszyu has left at the top level, despite his feel-good round four dismissal of Joey Spencer in Newcastle, Australia, on Sunday morning.
Banishing the ghosts of back-to-back defeats to Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev, Tszyu looked compact, confident and defensively responsible. While Joey offered very little resistance, this was a step back towards the summit for the ‘Soul Taker’, whose own soul might not be taken just yet.
Tszyu’s accuracy made a mess of Spencer’s eye, and once the American started feeling sorry for himself, it was as good as over. Spencer had been complaining about the three judges before the bout and was still moaning between rounds, arguing with his father/trainer. Cohesion was lacking from the first bell.
That beef was rectified just in time for Tszyu to end matters in the fourth round. Spence did not complain as the towel came in, alerting the ref that the beating was over.
Tszyu called out Keith Thurman, who responded later on social media, indicating it’s a fight he would like to revisit (their initial date was canned when Thurman got injured). It feels like a logical next step for Tszyu, who is back up and walking again.
Richard Torrez gets past first ‘big’ test in Guido Vianello
As America searches for a new heavyweight hope, Richard Torrez Jr stepped forward to stake his claim. Torrez is a likeable character and got the job done here against a tall, awkward unit in Guido Vianello, an Italian who has seemingly found his level.
Torrez hasn’t quite found his yet, but it might not be far off. The Californian’s smaller stature, compared to the big boys of today, is often mentioned and it is a genuine concern. A big heavy with a good jab and hard hands will cause him issues, just like Bakhodir Jalolov did in the amateurs.
Janibek Alimkhanuly completes homecoming job
Boxing back in Kazakhstan, WBO and IBF middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly showed that he’s the man to beat at the weight. Hopefully, unifications can be made soon to unify the entire division.
Alimkhanuly was a step above Congo-born, French-based challenger Anauel Ngamissengue, who was brave and unafraid to step forward and trade.
Unfortunately for him, the chin and resistance could not match the endeavour. Janibek’s left hand, power and accuracy created a trinity of trouble for Ngamissengue. Never did the champion seem rattled. He’s at his peak and will hopefully be matched accordingly from now on.
Disappointment for Brad Rea after Dos Santos pull-out
You have to feel for Bradley Rea, who thought he was contesting the European title on Friday evening, only for the champion to withdraw just a few hours before the opening bell.
This title is seemingly cursed as Shakan Pitters had originally pulled out of facing Daniel Dos Santos. Adding to the misery, Rea was supposed to box on the February 22 Riyadh card, only for his opponent to pull out there. A new opponent, surprisingly, could not be sourced as a replacement.
Ron the ref is too fidgety
Sunderland referee Ron Kearney has become more involved in bigger fights of late. Too involved, some might say. That’s because Kearney’s overly officious style is causing issues.
On Saturday, his picking, pecking and prodding of the fighters, along with constant chastisements for minor infractions, made David Adeleye and Jeamie Tshikeva immune to his murmurings.
Like the parent who is told to “pick their battles” with an errant child, Kearney ranted and raved so frequently that I believe the two heavyweights started to ignore him. That was until Kearney yelled “break,” touched Tshikeva’s glove, and then dished out a count after Adeleye clocked his fellow Londoner off the so-called break in action!
Refereeing is not an easy job, but, as I have discussed in previous blogs here, simplifying commands and making them universal across the Board (pun intended) would likely help matters. Stating “stop punching” is as clear an instruction as possible, so introduce it into the officiating lexicon.
Image Credits: BBC, PBC, Ezcon.
About Steve…
Current existence: Online editor at Boxing News Magazine.
Previous lives: Author (8 books), podcaster (500+ eps), scriptwriter for Motivedia channel, newspaper journalist, copywriter & educator.
Contact: stevenwellings1982@gmail.com